On Oct. 24, YU announced that the Sy Syms School of Business is launching a new master’s degree in finance. Assa Cohen, currently a visiting professor at Syms and an expert in market microstructure, was named director of the new program on Nov. 5.
The Sy Syms School of Business already offers an online MBA degree for professionals with prior business experience to advance further in their careers. The new M.S. in finance will add to Syms’s graduate offerings.
“It is intended for individuals at the beginning of their finance careers who want to build the specialized knowledge and competitive advantage required to succeed in the field,” Tamar Avnet, director of Syms’ graduate programs, told The Commentator. YU is also creating a new pathways program this spring that will allow students to complete the M.S. in finance one year after obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
“The [master’s] degree is timely and necessary,” Avnet said, “as the finance industry increasingly demands stronger quantitative skills, including modeling, coding, and familiarity with fintech, crypto, and related tools.”
Syms has been waiting to launch the program for several years since the COVID-19 pandemic forced its postponement.
Avnet noted that the program will help students enter competitive careers such as investment banking, equity research and asset management by equipping students with skills in financial modelling, data analysis and real-world applications.
Cohen told The Commentator that he became the director of the program because he sees great potential in his students.
In his classes, he meets undergraduates who are “bright, analytical, and opinionated,” he said. Cohen added that his undergraduate students have limited time to build skills, as many adhere to a dual curriculum. The master’s program will “give them the space to deepen their abilities, strengthen their job prospects and grow into confident finance professionals,” he said.
Cohen told The Commentator that the program is thanks to collaborative efforts from Avnet, Professor Archishman Chakraborty, chair of the finance department, and Provost Selma Botman.
“All of this made me feel that this was the right place to build something meaningful,” he said.
The first cohort is expected to be small, about 10 to 20 students, which Cohen sees as a strength.
“It allows me and the other faculty to invest in each student’s development and in their job placement. Strong early outcomes will be important for the reputation of the program,” he said, adding that even as the program grows, they intend to keep class sizes small to maintain close mentorship.
Cohen encouraged undergraduate students to consider the degree, especially “strong finance majors who want to deepen their technical abilities,” and STEM majors who “want to open the door to careers in the financial industry.”
Students reflected on the launch of the program:
“I think that the new program adds another level of legitimacy to Sy Syms,” Yaki Liebesman (SSSB ‘27) told The Commentator. “It is both an opportunity for students to display their commitment to higher education and pursuing blue-chip positions and for the university to assist and guide students to long-term success.”
Photo Caption: Professor Assa Cohen, currently visiting professor of finance in YU’s undergraduate school, will lead the master’s program.
Photo Credit: Yeshiva University
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